


if dogs run free, then what must be, must be.

by hyemiyah



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Moving In Together, Puppy Park Chanyeol, Starting A Family, taking care of a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 18:09:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12090546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyemiyah/pseuds/hyemiyah
Summary: Jongin and Sehun move in together.





	if dogs run free, then what must be, must be.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sugar_and_Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/gifts).
  * Inspired by [How to Train a Puppy (Owner)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9122842) by [Sugar_and_Salt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt). 



> Dearest ao3 user Sugar_and_Salt,  
> I know you prefer to write darker stories, but when I came upon your fluffy fic I couldn't resist to try and remix it.  
> You see I'm not very good with dark things, and I really love puppies, so I had to at least give this a try.  
> I do hope you enjoy this little thing I put together nonetheless.

 

 

 

 

When Sehun suggested Jongin that they moved together to take care of Chanyeol, Jongin wasn't expecting it to be to a fancy flat in one of the most expensive districts in Seoul. 

"But it's so far from our university," Jongin sulked. He loved the idea of living with Chanyeol. And so far, even if his first impression of Sehun hadn't been that good—he knew it was because Sehun was bad at human interaction and that left him feeling lonely—he grew fond of him. 

Sometimes, when dealing with Sehun, Jongin felt he was dealing with another puppy. Granted, he was different from Chanyeol. Where Chanyeol was big and fluffy and loved being around people, Sehun was quiet and moody. Often preferring the pleasure of his own company.

"Don't worry," Sehun said, smugly. "Since you and I go to the same university, we can both have my chauffeur drive us." 

"But we don't have the same schedule." 

"We can figure something out." Sehun seemed composed, as if he had taken extra time thinking about these supposedly trivial matters. While moving, the only thing Jongin had had to do was pack. On the day of the move, he opened the door to a bunch of uniformed guys that had politely come into his flat and loaded the cardboard boxes into a truck. 

Jongin had stared, wide-eyed and amazed, at the professionals doing their job in an efficient and swift manner. Carrying boxes around and leaving Jongin's flat bare in a matter of a couple of hours.

Instead Jongin replied with a curtly, "Yeah, sure." And that was that. Because, really, what could Jongin say? He was sure Sehun only meant well. And as much as Jongin enjoyed the walks to and from the dorm, he was certain you had to give up some things while sharing a living space with someone else. 

Sehun had given up his fancy house, having the maids do his chores. He had given up the immense space that was his parents' house, with the huge gardens and wooden stairs. Jongin could do as much as to give up his walks. 

To be fair, it wasn't as if he could not take them anymore. He could still walk with Jongdae and Kyungsoo, it wasn't a big deal.

That's why he had relented, and Sehun seemed pleased. It was a win-win situation. 

They still had to take turns taking Chanyeol to walks, though.

 

 

 

 

✽✽✽

 

 

 

 

From the tall windows of their flat, they can see the Han river and the park where they take Chanyeol out for a walk three times a day. 

Jongin soon learns that, as much as Sehun means well, he lacks survival instincts. He doesn't know normal people need to go to the grocery shop to buy supplies every so often. He's unaware—and if he is aware, he doesn't care—of the fact that Jongin is still a struggling, broken college student. And that he needs to save on house utilities, _So please, Sehun, do you really need to leave all the lights of the house on?_

But Jongin soon learns that Sehun only ever turns on all the lights in the house when Jongin comes home late. He remembers the enormity of Sehun's parents' house, how everything seemed immaculate and pretty, but incredibly distant and cold. 

He remembers Sehun looking like a small child in his own bedroom. Hugging his long legs to his chest and looking a bit hopeful only when Jongin agreed to move in with him. 

The reason why Sehun adopted Chanyeol was because he was all alone in a huge house where people added honorifics to his name and everyone did everything for him. 

So Jongin doesn't scold Sehun about turning on all the lights of the flat whenever he's late. Instead he tries not to stay out too much.

 

 

 

 

✽✽✽

 

 

 

 

Sehun has been acting strange these past couple of weeks. He makes excuses about not being able to take Chanyeol out for walks, even if he's the one going home directly from classes.

"Ordinary college students still have to work for a living, you know." Jongin says at dinner one night. He doesn't mean for his words to sound so harsh, but he's exhausted and all he wants to do is sleep. Though he still has to finish an essay due tomorrow morning. 

Sehun sulks even more. Picking on his meat, and not putting much into his mouth. One of the upsides about living with Sehun is that they have an ahjumma that comes to clean and help them with the house chores. Jongin doesn't pay a signle won. Sehun told him the ahjumma still had to come even if he was living alone, and cooking for two was not so different than cooking for one. 

Jongin knows he has to be thankful to have his meals cooked for him once he gets home. He knows he has to be thankful to have someone to welcome him home, someone who waits for him to eat together. But he's so very tired, and Sehun's mood doesn't seem to be improving.

Chanyeo's getting bigger, so he needs to be let out more. Jongin knows he feels claustrophobic in their flat. He knows that he prefers to run around the park, chasing birds and tennis balls and boomerangs. 

"Is something the matter?" He tries again, nicer this time. 

Sehun shakes his head lazily. He doesn't meet Jongin's eyes. Chanyeol remains seated next to Jongin, expecting either petting, or better, a bit of human food. 

Jongin catches Sehun staring at Chanyeol, instead. Could it be that Sehun's jealous? Lately, Chanyeol only every listens to him. He makes a big fuss whenever Jongin comes home, as if he were gone for ages. When Jongin eats, Chanyeol sits by his side, sometimes he puts his head on Jongin's lap. 

But he never does that to Sehun. When they go out for walks, the three of them, Chanyeol's only attention is to Jongin. He runs right back when Jongin throws him the old tennis ball, and he only so much as walks back when Sehun does it. 

Fighting back a smile and realising he's failing, Jongin chews on a big bite of asparagus and meat. He truly is living with two puppies. 

"He only likes me because I secretly give him human food," Jongin says. The smile he tried so hard to fight back is on full display now. He's looking right at Sehun, who looks uninterested, but there's a spark in his eyes that says otherwise.

"I don't care." Is Sehun's curt response. He goes back to picking at his food. Jongin is sure he's already thinking of giving Chanyeol his left over whenever Jongin is not looking. 

The way Sehun acts sometimes it's cute, Jongin thinks. He conceals some giggles with awkward coughs, and keeps going, "He likes pizza the best." 

They order take out during the weekends, on the ahjumma's days off. They have plenty to choose. Sometimes the three of them go to the nearest convenience store and buy a bunch of ramyeon and kimbap. 

A couple of weeks ago, they tried the new pizza place. They were having an opening sale. He and Sehun ate so much pizza they had to lie down for hours, watching old episodes of Produce 101 and Weekly Idol. Neither of them were able to look for the remote, so they stayed there. Jongin on his back on the floor and Sehun on the leather couch. Chanyeol was snorting a few steps away from Jonin.

When it was time for dinner. Jongin was cleaning the mess that was their living room table, when he notice there was still half a slice of pizza. But the mere sight of it made him nauseous. He gave it to Chanyeol, instead. 

That was how it had all began. 

Jongin knows it's bad for dogs to eat human food. But as long as they don't give Chanyeol the stuff that was bad for him (chocolate, avocado, dairy products, candy) he thinks they can make it work. 

He can't say that to Sehun now, though. Seeing as he is nonchalantly giving Chanyeol his rice and trying not to show his delight too much when Chanyeol sits next to him instead. 

"What other things does Chanyeol like?" Sehun asks. He's eating instead of playing with his food, a sign that he's no longer sulking. 

Jongin has to fight back another smile. A huge one. As much as Sehun can put on a pocker face, sometimes he looks and acts too much like a puppy. All excited and happy for little, trivial things.

"Dogs can eat rice, so it was good that you gave him yours." Jongin replies. Sehun looks like he's about to deny he gave Chanyeol any food, but Jongin smiles at him. Sehun clears his throat. 

"So only rice? What about pizza?" He asks questions as if he weren't that interested. But Jongin can detect the curiosity a mile away. 

"Pizza is bad for them, it was my mistake to give him any." But honestly, Jongin was not in his right mind that night. He was high on pizza and survival idol programmes; he wasn't thinking straight. Sehun smirks at this, as if he had caught Jongin doing something he shouldn't and were not basking in his mistake. 

Jongin takes a sip of his juice, and ignores Sehun's smug stare. "They can also eat some fruits, I used to have a dog that loved bananas." Jjangu had been his family dog for almost two decades. Jongin still misses him. "And also some vegetables. I can make you a list." 

Sehun nods and gives Chanyeol more of his rice. When he speaks again, his voice is soft. It reminds Jongin of the time he'd asked him to move in with him. "Maybe we can go to the grocery store this weekend? We don't have any fruits, and ahjumma bought the vegetables. I don't think we can use them."

Chanyeol rests his head on Sehun's lap, demanding more food and possible petting. Sehun looks like it's Christmas morning and this is the best present anyone could ever give him. Jongin laughs heartily at this.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. The title comes from Bob Dylan's If dogs run free.  
> 2\. Sehun and Jongin's apartment is located in Cheongdam-dong, a very fancy district in Seoul.


End file.
